Massachusetts Rent Increase Notice
A free Massachusetts rent increase notice that follows Massachusetts law. Fill in the boxes, check the rules below, then print or copy it. Keep a copy and proof of how you sent it.
What Massachusetts law says
| Notice before a rent increase | No statute sets a specific rent-increase notice period. For a tenancy at will, rent can be changed only by ending the tenancy with written notice: the longer of one rental period or 30 days (3 months if rent is paid less often). That notice may include an offer of a new tenancy at the new rent. A fixed-term lease controls until it ends. Local rent control is barred statewide except under a narrow c. 40P program. Source: M.G.L. c. 186, § 12 |
|---|---|
| Rent control / increase limits | Banned statewide by state law, and the ban is still in force. 'No city or town may enact, maintain or enforce rent control of any kind,' except a narrow program in a municipality that accepts c. 40P. Owner compliance with that program must be voluntary after 6 months, it cannot cover owners of fewer than 10 units or units with a fair market rent above $400, and the town must pay owners the difference from general funds. There is no statewide cap on rent increases. Rent control is NOT on the November 3, 2026 state ballot. The Secretary of the Commonwealth lists nine binding statewide questions (Questions 1-8 are initiative laws and Question 9 is a referendum on the 2024 firearms law), and none of them deals with rent control or rent stabilization. The rent-control initiative (Initiative Petition 25-21, 'An Initiative Petition to Protect Tenants by Limiting Rent Increases') was challenged at the Supreme Judicial Court in Cella v. Attorney General, SJC-13893. |
Fill in your letter
Nothing you type leaves your browser. Replace anything still highlighted. If a lease, city rule or court form requires different wording, that controls.
To: [tenant name(s)]
Premises: [rental address]
Your rent will change from $[current rent] to $[new rent] per [month], starting [effective date].
This notice is given under M.G.L. c. 186, § 12. If a fixed-term lease is in effect, the new rent starts only when the lease allows a change.
All other terms of your tenancy stay the same.
Questions: [landlord name, phone, email].
Date: [today's date]
Landlord or agent: [your name]
Signature: ____________________
How to send it: use a method you can prove — certified mail with return receipt, or email/text if your lease allows notices that way. Write down the date.
Rent Increase Notice templates for other states · All Massachusetts landlord-tenant rules · Free legal help in Massachusetts
General legal information, not legal advice. Laws change and local rules can differ; check the linked official source or talk to a lawyer about your situation.